When Raf Simons took the reigns at Calvin Klein, it felt historic. A Belgian designer at a quintessentially American house? It seemed that after decades, the sometimes tense relationship between U.S designers and their European counterparts had settled, giving way to a spirit of global unity—or something close to it.
So far, Raf has embraced New York City, the birthplace of Calvin Klein, joyfully mining the brand’s deep archives and broader American history for inspiration. His first campaign for the label, photographed by Willy Vanderperre, saw barely-dressed models inspect classic artworks by Richard Prince, Andy Warhol and Sterling Ruby. The title of the series? ‘American Classics.’
His sophomore campaign for the label looked outdoors, toward the Californian desert. Models stood in front of highway billboards bearing familiar images from last season’s ‘American Classics’ campaign. It was “a study in art and artifice,” the label wrote.
In these exclusive behind the scenes images, we see what it took to bring Raf’s vision to life. Models grip water bottles with straws to avoid disturbing their makeup, as lighting technicians in baseball caps and cowboy hats look on. Peek behind the curtain.
credits
Image courtesy Calvin Klein